Turn Off The Green Screen. Now What’s Your Brand?
By Dennis Kim
When you’re watching a movie, you don’t often say, “This is not real. Obviously it is shot with a camera, that spaceship is a green screen, and those are just actors.”
Instead, you surrender your skepticism, and willingly accept the conventions of cinema. You become immersed within the story — sometimes so much that you feel like you’re in the same room with your favorite protagonist.
Suspension of disbelief, as they call it.
It’s kind of a miracle that we have a natural impulse for it. I personally believe it to be one of the greatest pleasures and phenomena of life. It’s proof that we are not meant to be innately logical beings, but rather emotionally driven — story driven. Not even rocket scientists enjoy thinking about numbers all day. Okay maybe some do, but I like to believe they only do it so they can travel in warp-speed like their favorite Star Trek characters one day.
Even if the plot of a movie has farfetched elements such as instantaneous travel from galaxy to galaxy, suspending disbelief adds an element of believability in the thread of imagination. It’s the key to unveiling new possibilities, and changes the jaded mind into thinking: “I can see this happening one day.”
There are obviously, however, such things as bad movies. Take this year’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice for example. Zack Snyder was so focused on epic visuals, Easter eggs, and explosions that he completely forgot to tell a story. It was a movie that was somehow “too much” and “not enough.” The only good things that came out of the debacle were some very entertaining Rotten Tomatoes reviews.
So many companies today fall in the same line. There are so many so-called “Zack Snyder” brands that only seek to indulge in the features and benefits of their products.
There’s no timeless aspect that transports their audience emotionally into the brand’s world. Your brand’s product may not be something new, but the possibilities you reveal with it and the story you tell can be.
“Why did Snyder still succeed?” asked the entire universe. It’s simple really — the names of two iconic superheroes in the title, both of which had amazing stories that are over 70 years old and regarded as a huge part of people’s childhood.
Well-constructed stories like Batman or Superman are what keep people’s love for narrative alive. Whether in videos, on-going conversations via social media, or memes, the heart of storytelling must always be present. We all enjoy having our curiosity evoked and understanding what’s going on. Delving deep into the layers of a story makes us feel smarter, and we begin to find meaning within that resonates with our own lives. It’s one of the reasons why people enjoy fiction movies that are “artsy” or surreal such as The Matrix or Inception. It’s what stands out in all of the noise.
Dennis Kim is an Associate at Woden. Whatever your storytelling needs may be, let Woden help. Download our free StoryBlueprint, or send us an email at connect@wodenworks.com to discuss how we can help tell your story.